Counterfeit: “We’ve Always Wanted To Be On The Reading & Leeds Bill”

Jamie Campbell Bower on wardrobe malfunctions and the pressure of playing one of the UK’s biggest festivals…

Counterfeit are set to make their debut at Reading & Leeds this year, so we spoke to frontman Jamie Campbell Bower about how he’s dealing with the pressure of playing one of the biggest festivals in the UK…

You’re making your Reading & Leeds debut this year – how does that feel?

“I’m not going to lie to you, man, but with anything Counterfeit at the moment, I’m shitting it. It’s going to be sick, and obviously for us, it’s a bill that ever since we were kids we have always wanted to be on. In all honesty, I never thought it would happen. I mean, I never thought we would be there or get given the opportunity to play it. It’s an amazing opportunity for us and we’re so stoked, but of course I’m bricking it.”

There are some pretty killer bands playing as well! Who are you excited to catch?

“Some of my favourite bands are playing it. I mean, Architects are on the line-up already, and I love those guys – I was at the [O2 Academy] Brixton show and I’ve seen them at the [Camden] Roundhouse. I’m stoked to see Against The Current as well, actually; I think Chrissy Costanza has some shit-hot vocals. I’m also keen to see While She Sleeps. It’s great because not only do we get to play it, but we get to see a bunch of great rock bands as well. It’s a staple of the British festival season, it sort of rounds off festival season, and it’s a huge fucking deal for us!”

Have you ever been to Reading & Leeds festival before as a fan?

“Do you know what, myself and Roland [Johnson, bass] have never been… I guess it’s because I’ve always been working or something when it’s been on, but it’s always been a festival where I look at the line-up and I’m like, ‘Fucking hell, why am I not there?’ It will be mine and Roland’s first experience of Reading & Leeds and we are so pumped! I don’t know what to expect if I’m being honest, but maybe I should wear something special…”

So, what can we expect from a festival Counterfeit show?

“I’m just going to go out there and play a fucking gnarly rock show! I’m going to try and push all the fear to the back of my mind, but this is such a big deal that we’re just going to go out there and give it everything that we’ve got. At the end of the day, we’re just going to go out there and thrash. This is an opportunity for us to cut loose and for the crowd to as well.”

The festival is steeped in so much history, do you want to be one of the bands where people walk away with their minds blown?

“Thanks for the fear (laughs)! Let’s not fuck this up. Reading is so steeped in history; two years ago [Frank Carter &] The Rattlesnakes played it for the first time and we saw they packed the tent out. For us, it’s an amazing opportunity – it’s a festival that my mates used to go to and all used to go wild. That is what our show is all about, going wild. It’s not something that is shiny and beautiful, you know, it’s just straight-up, balls-out rock’n’roll and that’s what we want to get across this festival. We’re just so pumped, I’m constantly thinking about technical faults or wardrobe malfunctions, I don’t want to do a Lenny Kravitz. Maybe I should wear super-tight jeans with no pants on underneath, like, ‘Here’s my penis…’”

Catch Counterfeit at this year’s Reading & Leeds Festival! Get your tickets from the Kerrang! Ticket Store and check out the line-up below: